H7217 H7217
Head (physical or figurative); chief, leader; the sum or main point of a matter.
The Aramaic cognate of Hebrew rosh, this word appears almost exclusively in Daniel and Ezra. Most often it simply means the physical head -- of Nebuchadnezzar's statue (Dan 2:32), of the Ancient of Days (Dan 7:9), or of a four-headed beast (Dan 7:6). Yet it also serves as the seat of night visions ('the visions of your head upon your bed,' Dan 2:28). In Ezra 5:10 it shifts to 'chief, leader,' confirmed by Hindi 'mukhiya' and Swahili 'viongozi.' In Daniel 7:1 it reaches its most abstract register: the 'sum' or main point of a matter, glossed in Spanish as 'resumen.'
Senses
1. head (body part) — The physical head of a person, animal, or visionary figure. Dominant across Daniel's court narratives and apocalyptic visions (Dan 2:32, 38; 3:27; 7:6, 9, 20), with the phrase 'visions of your head' (Dan 2:28; 4:5, 10; 7:1, 15) using 'head' as the bodily seat of dreams. German 'Haupt' and Spanish 'cabeza' confirm the literal reading throughout. 12×
AR["رَأْسُ", "رَأْسُهُ", "رَأْسِ-كَ", "رَأْسِهِ", "رَأْسِي", "رُؤُوسٍ", "رُؤُوسِهِمْ", "فِي-رَأْسِهِ"]·ben["আপনার-মাথার", "আমার-মাথার", "এর-মাথায়", "তাঁর-মাথার", "তাদের-মাথার", "তার-মাথা", "মাথা"]·DE["Haupt"]·EN["His-head", "heads", "his-head", "its-head", "my-head", "on-its-head", "the-head", "their-heads", "your-head"]·FR["[בראשה]", "[ראשהון]", "[ראשין]", "[ראשך]", "sa-tête", "têtes-de"]·heb["ב-ראשה", "ראש", "ראשו", "ראשי", "ראשים", "ראשך", "ראשם"]·HI["उनके-सिर", "उसका-सिर", "उसके-सिर-के", "उसके-सिर-पर", "तेरे-सिर", "मेरे-सिर-के", "सिर"]·ID["-kepala-Nya", "-kepalaku", "-kepalanya", "di-kepalanya", "kepala", "kepala-mereka", "kepalaku", "kepalamu", "kepalanya"]·IT["capi-di", "capo"]·jav["mustaka", "mustaka-panjenengan", "mustakanipun", "sirah", "sirah-kula", "sirahipun", "wonten-ing-sirahipun"]·KO["그것의-머리에", "그의-머리의", "나의-머리의", "내-머리-의", "머리-그들의", "머리-당신의", "머리가-그것의", "머리들이", "머리이다"]·PT["a-cabeça", "cabeça-sua", "cabeça-tua", "cabeças", "cabeças-deles", "em-sua-cabeça", "minha-cabeça", "sua-cabeça"]·RU["голов-их", "голова", "голова-его", "головы", "головы-Его", "головы-его", "головы-моей", "головы-твоей", "на-голове-его"]·ES["cabeza-de-mí", "cabeza-de-él", "cabezas", "en-cabeza-de-ella", "la-cabeza", "mi-cabeza", "su-cabeza", "sus-cabezas", "tu-cabeza"]·SW["kichwa", "kichwa-Chake", "kichwa-chake", "kichwa-chako", "kichwa-changu", "kichwani-mwake", "vichwa-vyao", "vinne"]·TR["baş", "başlarının", "başı", "başı-onun", "başımın", "başında", "başının"]·urd["اُس-کے-سر-پر", "اُس-کے-سر-کی", "اُس-کے-سر-کے", "تیرے-سر", "سر", "سر-اس-کا", "سروں-ان-کے", "میرے-سر-کی"]
2. chief, leader — Chief or leader -- a metaphorical extension of 'head' to denote authority. Used in Ezra 5:10 where names are taken 'at their heads,' meaning from their leaders. Hindi 'mukhiya' (chief) and Swahili 'viongozi' (leaders) independently confirm the social-rank meaning rather than a body-part reading. 1×
AR["في-رُؤُوسِهِم"]·ben["তাদের-প্রধান"]·DE["[בראשיהם]"]·EN["at-their-heads"]·FR["[בראשיהם]"]·heb["ב-ראשיהם-ם"]·HI["उनके-मुखिया-थे"]·ID["menjadi-kepala-mereka"]·IT["[בראשיהם]"]·jav["kang"]·KO["에-머리들-그들"]·PT["em-suas-cabeças"]·RU["во-главе-их"]·ES["en-sus-cabezas."]·SW["viongozi-wao"]·TR["baslarindadir"]·urd["بِ-سروں-ان-کے"]
3. sum, chief point — The sum, chief point, or essential content of a matter. In Daniel 7:1 the prophet writes 'the sum of the matters,' an abstract sense where 'head' becomes 'gist.' Spanish 'resumen' (summary), Swahili 'muhtasari' (abstract), and Hindi 'mukhya' (main/chief) all point to this distilled, summarizing meaning. 1×
AR["رَأْسَ"]·ben["সারাংশ"]·DE["Haupt"]·EN["sum-of"]·FR["[ראש]"]·heb["ראש"]·HI["मुख्य"]·ID["inti"]·IT["capo"]·jav["ringkesan"]·KO["처음의"]·PT["o-resumo-das"]·RU["главу"]·ES["resumen-de"]·SW["muhtasari-wa"]·TR["başını"]·urd["خلاصہ"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G2962 1. Lord (divine title) (661×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [רֵאשׁ] n.m. Dn 7:6 head (Egyptian Aramaic, S-CPap.; Palm. רש; 𝔗 רֵישׁ, Syriac ܪܺܝܫ; BH רֹאשׁ);—cstr. ר׳ Dn 7:1; emph. ה—ָ 2:38; sf. רֵאשִׁי 4:2 +, ךְ—ָ 2:28, הּ—ֵ v 32 +, הּ—ַ 7:20, הוֹן—ֵ 3:27; pl. abs. רֵאשִׁין 7:6, sf. רָאשֵׁיהֹם (K§§ 53, Anm. b); 63 Gu Hpt ad loc.) Ezr 5:10;— 1. head of man Dn 3:27, cf. 7:9; in vision: of image 2:32, 38, beast 7:6, 20. 2. head as seat of visions, הֶזְוֵי…